


Path of the Wind

by EverythingandAnything



Category: Tonari no Totoro | My Neighbor Totoro (1988), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Cryptids, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Location Change, M/M, Mutual Pining, My Neighbor Totoro AU, Slow Burn, endeavor's a+ parenting, mineta doesn't exist au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 23:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11816187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverythingandAnything/pseuds/EverythingandAnything
Summary: In a town where the past is always present, and local legends rule supreme, Izuku strives to uncover the mystery of All Might, the legendary folk hero of Yuuei who supposedly disappeared in a forest fire years ago, and whose sporadic and near supernatural appearances afterwards have ignited discourse ever since.And if he can get the mysterious boy next door to open up to him, well that's just an added bonus.





	1. The Town in April

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to [dystopiansushi](http://dystopiansushi.tumblr.com) for beta reading this, and [lucycamui](http://lucycamui.tumblr.com) for giving me advice on living in Japan. Lastly, thanks to everyone on Discord for putting up with me!

**_Heroes of Folklore - Analysis for the Future: Special Edition_ **

**All Might:**

**Name: ???????**

**Location: Yagi Forest, near Yuuei, Chubu Region, Yamanashi Prefecture**

**Story: In the year xxxx, during an earthquake, and the subsequent fire, an unknown figure was seen and recorded saving over one hundred people within ten minutes. However, after running back into the burning forest to save one last person, they were never seen again, although the individual they rescued survived. Since then, people have occasionally reported seeing a large figure in the forest who is always shrouded in mist, and laughter as well as cries of “It’s fine now!” and “I am here!” have been heard in the area. People who get lost in the forest have also reported being guided back onto the main paths or out of the forest by trails of mist, and a large shadow.**

**Appearance: ?????? (Judging from video, seems to be tall, muscular, has blonde hair, and has a kind smile)**

**(Related? Yuuei’s low crime rate? Criminals are always inexplicably delivered to local authorities with evidence of their crimes. Sometimes, literally right on their doorstep.)**

**Photos are always bad or low quality? Were the photographers just bad or does the mist serve a different purpose? Electromagnetic disruption?**  

 

* * *

 

“...And I’ll need to compare the local maps with satellite maps of the forest. I wonder if the library has them. They would certainly have the newer maps, but the older ones....”

“Izuku.”

“No, if they’re that old, not to mention important, they’ll be focusing on maintaining them; they’ll most likely be at the town hall centre which would have the best facilities for that purpose. I wonder if I’ll need to get special permission to look at them?”

“Izuku.”

“I know people have already made maps of All Might sightings, but no one’s actually gone and compared them with both satellite images _and_ the local town maps before. Certainly not with the original maps of the area at least. Yuuei is pretty hard to reach after all, and it’s not worth going just for the maps when there’s more easily accessible locations with more activity. There’ll probably be a pattern somewhere in-”

“Izuku!”

Midoriya Izuku looks up from his worn notebook in his lap, wincing as the sharp crick in his neck makes itself known. Beside him, his mother glances at him from the corner of her eye, an amused smile playing on her lips, despite the exhaustion evident in her eyes. Her chest heaves a little as she struggles to prevent a coughing fit from taking over her body, and Izuku feels a stab of guilt deep in his stomach at having taken so long to respond. One of her hands leaves its tight grip on the steering wheel as she reaches over to softly ruffle his hair, and he leans into the touch, even as he attempts to bow his head in apology. His mother apparently will have no such thing, as a gentle smile of understanding appears on her face instead, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder in a reassuring touch.

“You're going to hurt your neck if you keep writing like that.”

Izuku gives her a sheepish smile, fingers reaching up to massage away the stiffness. Outside, the scenery flies by, wide open green and yellow fields creating a kaleidoscope of bright, natural hues  against a background of distant copses, all framed by clear blue skies. He feels his heart beat just a touch  faster as he recognises the expansive forest growing steadily closer in the distance, the dark greens of its foliage slowly taking over the horizon. Despite the size of the immense oak tree that rises above the canopies like a deity, the shadow it casts over the cluster of colourful buildings nestled in front of the forest is almost like that of a protective aura, and Izuku feels his lips spreading into a wide grin as the town of Yueei grows ever closer.

From their position on the road, he can barely make out the features of the famous statue located at the centre of the mass of buildings, but he can see the smile in his mind’s eye well enough. His fingers itch for his pen once more despite the pain in his neck, and he feels as if he’s about to vibrate out of his seat. The itch only grows as the car rumbles past a faded wooden sign bearing the words “Welcome to Yueei, Population: 1,558”. The potholes grow steadily less frequent with the smoother road, as they ease down a shallow incline to enter the downtown area.

The greens and yellows remain a constant along with the bright sky, as none of the buildings are large enough to block the view, and Izuku tries his hardest to catalogue them as they pass. The architecture seems to be a mix of both the old and the new: more traditional,  smaller buildings, worn with age, nestled next to concrete blocks; unlit neon signs suspended  beside cloth banners; chipping bricks contrasting with sleek glass and steel. The sidewalks are lined with pockets of greenery, and lightly packed with people basking in the afternoon sun and doing their weekend shopping. The crowd dwindles  as they move away from the downtown area and towards the town centre, and Izuku leans forward in his seat, ignoring the seatbelt digging deeply into his shoulder.

He only gets a fleeting glance at the statue, posing heroically in the middle of the large garden and surrounded by lush shrubbery and flowers, but just seeing Yuuei’s All Might statue in person is already better than even the clearest  of photos he’s seen on the Internet. The excitement leaves his body in the form of a high pitched squeak, even as the statue disappears behind them and they approach a series of  buildings that become increasingly spaced apart. Izuku sinks back into his seat, his mother’s hand never leaving his shoulder. It's when the potholes start appearing again that he realises that they must have left the town.  
“Do you remember the directions, Izuku?”

Izuku takes a deep breath before hurriedly pulling the map from underneath his notebook, as his mother’s hand leaves his shoulder to return to its white-knuckled grip on the wheel and once again directs her full attention to the road before her. Even though Yuuei is a small town, with only one main road leading in and out, the houses on its outskirts seem to be planted in a labyrinth, if Midoriya Inko’s frantic google searches are accurate in their depictions. Neither of them say a word as their car begins to climb up a side road shaded by the reaches of the Yagi forest, and they blink as their eyes adjust to the sudden change in brightness, the variations of greens and browns almost overwhelming, yet strangely comforting in their abundance. As he directs his mother down a path nestled comfortably between two stone markers, Izuku spies their new home at the top of the minute hill, the excitement returning like a welcome friend.

Their house is one of three located there, and the smallest one. Size wouldn’t have mattered anyway, not with the building being perfectly aligned with the great oak rising majestically out of the Yagi. The traditional Japanese house, complete with a red tiled roof, is painted in colours that remind Izuku of peppermint and cream,  creating  a bright, striking contrast to the vast forest behind it. Izuku finds it charming, despite its eccentricity. As the car pulls into the overgrown yard, he notices that the moving van is already waiting there, the workers unloading their belongings, and the reality of the situation truly hits him.

He’s here. He’s really here. He’s really moved to the town of Yuuei,  the birthplace of the hero figure All Might, and all the folklore and mysteries surrounding them, the figure that had grasped his attention as a child of five and set him down on the path of folklore and history and mysteries and cryptids. His mother kills the ignition, and Izuku takes a deep breath before opening the door, resisting the urge to shiver at the sudden biting cold, and ignoring the protests of his sore and cramped muscles. The air is heavy with the scents of earth and oak, carried along by the whispers of the wind through the foliage of the forest. Izuku turns towards the Yagi, and all the secrets that it houses. He’ll figure them out in due time--right after he works with his mother to move everything into their new home.

 

* * *

 

Izuku grunts as he helps his mother heft the last of the boxes out of the backseat of the car and into the house, the contents inside shifting around precariously. Around them, the movers efficiently arrange the last of the furniture to his mother’s specifications, and Izuku mumbles out a muffled thank you from behind the cardboard currently jammed into his face. In between directing the workers as to where to put their belongings, moving the additional boxes out of the backseat of their car, unpacking said boxes and checking their contents, and repeating the entire process anew, the sun has begun to set. In time, though, the task is complete, and Izuku is thankful that their small apartment back in the city had only a limited space for large furniture. The house here is hardly any larger, despite being two storeys in height; the very definition of comforting and cozy.

The wood of the prep table is cool as Izuku rests his head on it, and he vaguely registers that he still needs to unpack the contents of the boxes on the floor, or at the very least, check that all of their contents are still intact. The kitchen is chilly from the wind blowing in through the semi-open back door, and Izuku feels himself relaxing as the sweat on his body begins to cool. The inside of his mouth feels clammy from dehydration, and with a groan, he pulls himself from his slump to reach for a glass and fill it with water, closing his eyes in pleasure as the cool liquid soothes his parched throat. There’s an ominous creak from behind him, and Izuku’s hair stands on end as he turns to meet wide eyes of grey and blue; thunderstorm clouds contrasting with clear summer skies.

The back door to the kitchen is wide open now, a boy his age standing against the last of the afternoon’s light, one of his hands wrapped tightly around a cloth bag, the other seemingly doing its best to make a permanent indent in the wood. Izuku feels his cheeks heat from the intensity of the other boy’s gaze, and he clears his throat.

“May I help you?”

The boy doesn’t respond, his mouth opening and closing again without so much as a single sound. The cloth in his hand crinkles further, until he finally turns his head away, although the fervour in his eyes doesn’t weaken . Izuku feels the heat rise further until it meets his sweaty hair. The boy is gorgeous.

“M-My name is Midoriya Izuku. I just moved in with my mother.”

Izuku barely resists the urge to slap himself. Of course he just moved in! There was no way this boy would have missed the moving van parked in the yard like a beacon, or the multitude of boxes strewn around the house.

Swallowing against his strangely dry throat, Izuku takes a shaky step forward, extending his hand. The boy’s head snaps around, and Izuku thinks he can hear a sharp intake of breath as he steps closer. He’s not even sure if it came from himself or the boy in front of him. He’s even more handsome up close, and his eyes seem to shine with an emotion that Izuku can’t name. Izuku swallows again, and tilts his head up to meet the boy’s eyes, clenching his hands into his All Might hoodie to stop himself from reaching up to smooth the perfectly parted cherry red and snowy white hair away from those captivating eyes, or caress his fingers over the scar that frames the bewitching blue.

“What’s your name?”

“You live in a haunted house.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, and he suddenly feels his heart beat faster for reasons completely separate from  simple excitement.

“What?”

“The house is haunted apparently. Just thought you should know that. Good day.”

With that, the mysterious boy shoves the bag into his hands before fleeing back outside, and it’s all Izuku can do to not drop the package in his arms.

He can hear an unfamiliar voice calling out “Shouto!” through the open door, and he dashes out, the bundle tightly cradled in his hands, only to trip on an errant stone, and fall flat on his front.

“Izuku! Are you alright?”

He groans and nods his head yes, before two sets of hands grab his shoulders to help pull him up. He sputters out his thanks, before opening the bag to check its contents, breathing a sigh of relief as he realises that the box inside protected them from his accident. His mother softly clears her throat, and Izuku looks up into suspiciously familiar grey eyes, behind a pair of smudged lenses. He stammers out an apology as he bows his head.

“Midoriya Izuku! Ni-Nice to meet you.”

The woman in front of him waves his apology away with a soft smile.

“Welcome to Yuuei ! I’m your neighbour, Todoroki Fuyumi. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

She glances at the bag, and chuckles, pulling her hair back away from her face. It’s the same snowy white as the boy’s from earlier, streaked  with strands of the same red, and Izuku’s eyes widen in realisation.

“I see you’ve met my brother then.”

“Br-Brother? N-Neighbour?”

“Yes. My brother, Todoroki Shouto. We live right over there with our father.”

Todoroki points to a vast manor-like house at the far end of the ridge, at the very limit of the forest’s shadow. Izuku swears that he can see a lone figure dashing down the path, but he can’t be sure. It’s getting dark after all.

“I heard that the new residents would be coming in today, so Shouto and I decided to make you mochi as a housewarming gift!”

His mother gasps, “Thank you so much, Todoroki! But there really was no need.”

Todoroki shakes her head, “It’s the least that the two of us could do to welcome you.”

Her next words are spoken so softly that Izuku wonders if he truly heard them at all, “It’ll be good for Shouto too.”

Before Izuku can ask her what she means, one of the movers walks over with an exhausted smile, and Todoroki nods in understanding.

“I’ll let you get back to unpacking. Hopefully we can meet again soon.”

Izuku nods, and his grip tightens around the bag, as he follows his mother back towards the house.

Todoroki Shouto.

 

* * *

 

Haunted. Todoroki Shouto had said that the house was apparently haunted, and with the wind howling and rattling the windows with a vengeance, Izuku can certainly see why people would think that. The rush of the trees behind the house doesn’t help the imagery, as sticks and twigs, and various other small things rattle against the exterior, and Izuku hopes that his mother is exhausted enough by the events of the day that the racket will not wake her up. His stomach growls, and Izuku blushes  as he quietly slips out of his room and heads down the stairs. The lights in the kitchen turn on without so much as a flicker, to his relief, and he carefully opens the tupperware of mochi on the counter. The noises of the storm seem to be even more fierce on the lower level of the house, but Izuku ignores it as he considers the day’s events, images flashing through his mind like a slideshow.

The gruelling journey. Entering Yueei. Seeing All Might’s statue. Actually moving in. Todoroki Shouto. Heat returns to his face at the last thought, and Izuku presses his palms to his cheeks, careful not to smudge the mochi in his hands onto his skin. He looks around the kitchen, desperate for a distraction, and lets out a squeak, as he realises that he’s standing exactly where he was when they first met, and shakes his head, determined to move on. A loud metallic clang from outside helps with that. _Haunted_. The house, this house, is supposedly haunted. Izuku hums as he considers the dilemma.

“The house being haunted would definitely explain why it was so cheap in the first place, but then again, it won’t be the first time that a rumour has lowered property value. There’s also been no records of any actual hauntings in this area, so that’s another strike against that. But then again, there’s a first time for everything, and no one’s actually lived here for a while...”  
He hears something thud from above, from the direction of his mother’s room, and his eyes widen as he claps his free hand over his mouth in surprise.

“Izuku?”

Whoops. He pushes open the Shōji door sheepishly before calling out, “Just getting a snack! I’ll be up soon!”

Something strikes the exterior walls again, and Izuku smiles softly. He won’t mind living in a supposedly haunted house, if it means living in the town of Yuuei--All Might’s town. He certainly won’t mind living in a supposedly haunted house if it means that the country air will be better for his mother’s weakened lungs. And as Izuku takes his first bite of homemade mochi, and savours the sweet taste flooding his mouth, he thinks that he certainly won’t mind living in a supposedly haunted house if it means being neighbours with Todoroki Shouto.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was watching a certain animated movie the other day, which then gave me ideas for a Tododeku AU of another movie made by the same studio. Cookies if you can guess which one it is! I can't promise when the next update will be since I'm currently writing a thesis, but rest assured that the entire story has been planned out already!
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr: [here](http://history-rover.tumblr.com)  
> . I'll be posting updates and related material under [this tag](https://history-rover.tumblr.com/tagged/potw)  
> If you're curious about what the floor plan of Izuku and Inko's house looks like: [here it is](http://history-rover.tumblr.com/post/164235627108/the-floor-plans-of-izuku-and-inkos-new-home-in-my)


	2. Haunted

_“Can you see that? He’s already saved a hundred people! That’s crazy! It hasn’t even been ten minutes!”_

_The video clip playing on the television is an old one; grainy in quality and suffering from the shaking hands of the camera person. The footage pans over the wreckage of buildings, all backlit by a forest in flames. Paramedics and firefighters dash in and out of the frame, the crackling of the fire and the wailing cries of sirens melding with those of the people, creating static noise over the audio. Someone gasps as a silhouette suddenly appears in the centre of the frame, several people slung over its shoulders and clutched under its arms. A hearty laugh fills the air, suddenly heard loudly over the sounds of chaos and despair, until the contagious bubbling laughter is all that can be heard. The figure smiles, the bright whites of their teeth a beacon amidst the destruction._

_“It’s fine now. Why?”_

_Izuku gasps, his eyes widening. How can someone carry so many people? Aren’t they heavy? And how can someone smile that widely, with such happiness, in such a grim moment? Beside him, his mother laughs and pulls him into a quick hug. Izuku pays no attention to her, and just gasps again, his mouth widening into a grin as the camera zooms in to the figure’s smile._

_“Because I am here.”_

_A squeal of excitement fills the dark living room as Izuku leans forward towards the screen, all his feelings of frustration from having his favourite TV show being interrupted earlier by this special news bulletin, having long since disappeared._

_“He’s so cool!”_

_The video stops, and he grumbles in disappointment, but then the programme’s host starts speaking again, “It has been ten years since the Yuuei earthquake and fire, but mysteries still surround the individual now known in folklore as All Might: Who were they? How did they disappear, and did they survive the fire? Where are they now? Why has there been no evidence of such an individual being in the area to begin with? And today, a new mystery begins: have they somehow returned?”_

_A picture of a man wrapped in a blanket fills the screen with the caption: “The return of All Might? Lost traveller claims to have been saved by local folk legend!”, and Izuku’s eyes widen._

_“Reports have been made about the sudden appearance of a figure said to resemble All Might at Yagi Forest, the site of the Yuuei earthquake and fire ten years ago. Residents have long claimed that the spirit of All Might, thought to be deceased, remains in the area to protect them…”_

_Izuku sits up straighter as the host continues talking about the lost traveller and how All Might saved him, all with a booming laugh and a wide smile. That unmistakable smile. Izuku thinks back to only moments earlier, when that laugh and that smile had filled the TV screen. He likes that smile. It’s a smile that makes him feel safe, like when his mum tucks him into bed, and whispers her spell to protect him from monsters. He wants to see that smile for himself. He wants to know how he can help make other people feel safe, like his mum and All Might. All with a smile and a laugh like that._

_“...despite all the claims of All Might protecting the area, there has never been much…”_

_Izuku doesn’t know how to pronounce the word, and he turns towards his mum, the question in his eyes. She chuckles and answers, “It means mystery Izuku.”_

_Mystery. Izuku grins, body vibrating with excitement. He likes mysteries. He makes a small fist. It’s what heroes do before they say something important. He sees it all the time in his books._

_“I’m going to find him one day, Mum.”_

_A week later, his mum finds him a recording of the programme, and he opens a new notebook and begins to write. He’s desperate to see more, and quickly, one programme bleeding into another, and another, and another, and soon, he’s filling up notebooks about mysteries, and stories, and tales almost as soon as he opens them._

_“I_ will _find him.”_

 

* * *

 

Izuku pauses the video clip on his phone, as he carefully flips through the folder of maps, on the table in front of him, mindful of the laminated copies of the _Yuuei Chronicle_ next to it. Distantly, he can hear the rattling of book trolleys, and the errant clacking of a keyboard, but otherwise, the Yuuei Library and Town Hall is quiet, the hour too early for any student to be studying without the motivation of assignments and homework, and the additional promise of the last Sunday before the commencement of the school term keeping most of the town’s residents away.    

_All Might was able to carry over a hundred people to safety in less than ten minutes,_ Izuku thinks to himself _, which would mean a great deal of physical strength. He didn’t have any injuries in the video either, but that might have been because of the low quality. There was a fire too, but they were still able to go in and out for ten minutes almost continuously, so they probably don’t have any breathing issues. That would probably narrow down their age range to about…_ _  
_ Izuku purses his lips as he slowly shifts through the documents in front of him, and smiles when he spots the years he has in mind..    

_If they were born around that time, then they would have probably known Yagi forest when it looked like that..._

He taps his phone again, pulling up a file, before pulling the pile of newspapers closer.

_I could only put in what I knew about, so my map’s limited to the larger events that made it to the major news networks, but hopefully the Yuuei Chronicle can tell me more. There also seems to be a concentration of reports near this area, but..._ Izuku thumbs through the folder again, his brow furrowing, _that area’s pretty densely populated, so that could factor in._ Not to mention, I based it off a satellite map that doesn’t show what’s actually inside the forest, and the fire itself would have changed the layout substantially, so -

 

A pile of encyclopedias slam onto the wood with a heavy _bang_ , and Izuku yelps, his phone nearly falling from his loosened grip. He looks up in surprise, straight into the eyes of another boy, and he gulps. The person in question towers over him, arms folded tightly across his chest, dark black eyes furious behind a pair of pristine lenses. He's dressed in a silver sweater, a collared shirt buttoned up to his throat, and pressed slacks, and Izuku can read the words “Iida Tenya, Volunteer Librarian” on the blue lanyard around his neck.

“Are you are aware that this is the silent studying section, and that your incessant mumbling is an insult to the purpose of this space, and the people who designed it? Why are you showing such disrespect to this library and Yuuei?”

 

_Whoops_ , Izuku thinks. _I was saying everything out loud?_

Iida flings his hands out wildly as he speaks, and it’s a bit overwhelming, so Izuku hurriedly pulls the stack of encyclopedias towards him to prevent them from flying off the table as well.

“And what was with that awful racket? I assume you read the rules when you walked in through the front door, which very clearly state that headphones must be used when playing audio. Or does your disrespect for this institution truly reach that far?”

Izuku frowns, “What are you talking about, my headphones are-”

He gets a pointed eyebrow raise and several pointed finger jabs to his hand in response, and he looks down at his phone, his eyes zeroing in at the half inserted headphone jack. Izuku’s eyes widen, his free hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck.

“I'm sorry, I didn't realise! I-I really didn't mean any disrespect! I was using the video as a reference for research, you know, and I thought my headphones were fully plugged in and I didn’t realise that they weren’t, so please don't kick me out! I’m really really sorry, Iida!”

Iida goes still, and Izuku cautiously pushes the stack of books back to him, which he takes in a manner that reminds him of an automaton.

“How do you know my name?”

He points, and Iida’s face flushes to a red that rivals his own, before bowing his head so quickly, Izuku fears for his neck.

“I beg your pardon! I should have at least introduced myself first before telling you off. How impolite of me.”

“I-I-It’s okay! I’m Midoriya Izuku. I really am sorry for making such a racket! Please don’t kick me out and ban me for life!”

“You’ll have to forgive me if I ask you to be more specific about the racket.”  

Izuku gapes. Iida laughs, the sound echoing through the building, “I am perfectly capable of making jokes.”

Izuku can't help it as he breaks into a chuckle, adding to Iida’s loud booming laughs, until the sounds echo throughout the entire library, and possibly the entire building. So much for being quiet. The librarian at the front desk grumbles, but Izuku thinks he can see a slight quirk in the corner of his mouth as he continues typing on his computer.

 

“You’re not going to ban me, are you?”

Iida splutters, “Of course not! I can’t do something that I don’t have the power to do!”

Izuku lets out a giggle, all tension leaving his shoulders, fingers reaching up to scratch as his scalp, “Oh that’s a relief! I thought I’d have to sneak in or something to finish reading the maps!”

Iida’s eyes light up, and he strides forward, “You’re looking at the maps?”

“Yes? Mr. Torino was nice enough to get both them and the newspapers even though I didn’t make a request beforehand. I only just arrived here yesterday-”

Iida gasps, and grabs Izuku’s hand in a handshake that Izuku thinks could crush his bones.

“Where on earth are my manners? Welcome to Yuuei! My name is Iida-”

Izuku yelps, “I-I know! Your name tag earlier…It’s nice to officially meet you, Iida!”

Mercifully, Iida lets go of his hand, and gestures towards him with awkwardly angled arms.

“I misjudged you a lot, Midoriya. I had no idea that you had such an interest in the history of our town! And to think that you’re already doing this on your second day here? You are truly better than me in that regard! It took three days after my return to come here, and my family have lived here for generati-”

“Iida! Is there a reason why you’re being so noisy in the silent studying area? There's still work to be done, you know, and it's nearly time for morning tea! I want to eat my taiyaki before it goes stale!”

Iida winces, ignoring Izuku’s splutter of surprise when he spins around so quickly that the newspapers on the desk flutter, and the current page in the folder turns, revealing a map with unfamiliar symbols. “Understood, Mr. Torino!”

Iida turns back towards him, and flashes him a determined smile, eyes carefully avoiding the mountain of books stacked on the trolley behind him..

“It was nice to talk with you, Midoriya, but I must return to my duties as a volunteer librarian of the Yuuei Library, but please come back soon! I’ll do what I can to make sure that the maps are always available for your use! It’s good to know that we have another person who is enthusiastic about learning our town’s history!”

Izuku sucks in a sharp breath, surprised. “There’s somebody else?”

Iida nods before turning back towards his task. “Todoroki Shouto, the son of our fire chief.”

 

* * *

 

**All Might Research Summary (02-04-XX): Yuuei Library and Town Hall**

 

  * ****In the ten years following the Yuuei Fire, nine clearings are discovered in Yagi Forest.****


  * **All are marked accordingly on local maps.**


  * **First sightings and reports of All Might found near these areas.**


  * **Clearings disappear from maps after the first sightings and reports of All Might.**


  * **Symbol for the clearings never used again on maps.**


  * **Maps are updated every two years.**


  * **No additional All Might events or incidents reported in Yuuei Chronicle.**


  * **No hauntings reported in Yuuei Chronicle.**


  * **When did hauntings begin?**


  * **House was partially destroyed by Yuuei fire, and current building is built over its foundations.**


  * **House was unoccupied and for sale at the time of the Yuuei fire.**


  * **Real estate company in charge of sale was burnt down during the Yuuei fire. No records remain.**


  * **Why was house for sale?**


  * **What happened to the owners? Where are they now?**  


  * ****_Why did the symbols disappear?_****


  * ****Different forest paths becoming more widely used?** **No, forest paths remain the same.****


  * **Outside interference? Who? No indication about who makes the maps? Local family? Community effort?**


  * **Increased growth in clearing areas, causing them to disappear? What caused this growth?**


  * **Are clearings still there? Are there more?**


  * **Who found the clearings in the first place?**


  * **All Might?????????? Why were you there?**


  * **Were you always there?**


  * **Is there a connection?**


  * **Danger in the clearings? Removed for safety reasons? What was the danger?**



 

  * **_**_TODOROKI SHOUTO_**_**



 

* * *

 

Yuuei High is a single building located on the outskirts of Yuuei, amongst rock and forest, ten minutes away from the town centre. From its position on one of the more prominent hills surrounding the town, it stands as a shining beacon in the early morning light, as if summoning its students and staff for the day. Distantly, a bell begins to toll, and Izuku picks up his pace as he dashes up the uneven path, red sneakers secure on his feet as he dodges around the remaining debris from the storm two nights ago. Around him, he can hear the soft whispers of the wind running through the trees, and the quiet chirping of birds, the scent of wet earth heavy and thick in the air.

Up ahead on the crest of the hill, Izuku can make out the school gates of worn and weathered stone, the top of the building peeking out like the rising sun. The metal UA sign is perched on the roof like some mythical being, the two letters long associated with spectacularly strong academic results, making Yuuei High one of the most competitive high schools within the prefecture, if not the entire country, in spite of its isolated location, and Izuku’s breath escapes him in an awed gasp as he draws closer, a weight lifting off his shoulders as he strides through the gates, mouth settling into a determined smile. For a brief second, as he passes through the doors of the building, he spies the flash of a silhouette with glinting eyes in the very corner of his vision. Izuku shakes his head, and yawns, the exhaustion from his research finally settling in.     

 

The quiet spell from outside is broken the second Izuku steps into the hallway connecting the classrooms, the loudest of the ruckus originating from behind a door marked 1-A, and Izuku gulps, the burgundy tie of his uniform tight against his throat once more. The green and grey of his blazer seems to stretch uncomfortably across his shoulders as he slowly slides the door open, unleashing the cacophony of a one-sided discourse into the hallway. Izuku winces as he recognises one of the voices as that of Iida’s, and slowly peeks his head from around the door to witness the full force of his annoyance.

“Don’t put your feet on the desk!”

“Huuuuuh?”, answers a loud voice and Izuku can practically hear the smirk.

Iida straightens his back and puffs out his chest, arms doing their best impression of a paper guillotine as his brows draw together in frustration. The object of his ire is another boy sitting in front of him, his legs propped up on a desk, head tipped back at a worrying angle.

“I said get your feet off the desk! Don’t you think it’s disrespectful to the local carpenters who made that desk, and our seniors who used them before us? Not to mention the people who will use them after us? Don’t you think they deserve a good desk?”

“HA! Did that stupid private academy just make the stick up your ass even bigger?” The boy sits up to smirk at Iida. “Didn’t think it was possible!”

Izuku chokes on his own spit.

“Kacchan?”

The boy with spiky blonde hair turns his head. His red eyes widen, mouth dropping open as recognition flashes on his face, and sure enough he’s the one Izuku knows as Bakugou Katsuki. One of his legs drops off of his desk, garnering an indignant grumble from Iida.

“Deku! What the fuck are you doing here?!”

Izuku laughs, dashing across the homeroom floor to pull his childhood friend into a hug, pulling him out of his chair in his enthusiasm.

“Kacchan, it really is you! Mum and I had no idea that you and your family were still here!”

A high pitched squawk leaves Kacchan as he struggles to break free from his grip, sending a nearby red-haired boy into peals of howling laughter.

“Deku, you shithead! Put me down! We inherited my grandma’s stupid house after the old hag died! It’s not like we were going to leave after being here for five years.”

“Yo!” After his breath evens out from laughter, the same red-haired boy tilts his head. “You two know each other?”

Kacchan scoffs, sinking a hand into Izuku’s hair, gently pushing him away as Izuku loosens his grip. “He’s a snot-faced loser who used to live next door before I moved here.”

 

Izuku suddenly feels the gaze of every other student in the very crowded room, and he ducks his head, giving a shy wave and a sheepish smile.

“Everybody!”

Before any one of his bleary-eyed classmates can respond, Iida smacks him firmly on the back, sending him stumbling forward on an empty desk with a muted yelp. “This is our new classmate, Midoriya Izuku! Please make him feel welcome to our school and to our town!”

“Dude! Welcome to Yuuei and all that!” The red-haired boy from earlier crashes into his side before Izuku can even catch his breath, slinging an arm across his shoulder as he grins. “The name's Kirishima Eijiro, and any friend of my boyfriend is a friend of mine!”

Izuku splutters, suddenly grateful for Kirishima’s vice-like grip, given the sudden shakiness in his knees.

“ _Boyfriend?!_ ”

He thinks back to the Kacchan in his childhood memories: a boy who yelled his way into and out of every situation. Who spoke with a confident sneer, ran off with crimson cheeks and teary eyes after falling into a stream, screamed into the face of anyone who offered help. The Kacchan from his memories would have never been truly friendly with anyone, much less have a boyfriend. To his credit, Kirishima doesn't seem fazed whatsoever by his reaction. He only reaches out his free arm to pull Kacchan close, beaming all the while. Izuku’s eyes widen as Kacchan allows himself to be dragged over, face completely devoid of any anger or annoyance, with instead the subtlest of quirks tugging the corners  of his mouth.

“Yep! Been going steady for two years now!”

“Kirishima truly did the impossible.”

Izuku turns at the new voice, barely containing the yelp in his throat when he finds himself nose to nose with a girl perched on top of the desk, legs bent like a frog’s. She simply tilts her head at him in response, her large black eyes boring into his before she holds out her hand.

“Tsuyu Asui, but you can call me Tsu. Good to meet you, Midoriya.”

The second Izuku takes her hand in a tentative hold, there’s a collective roar of chairs scraping across tile, table legs clattering from jostling around as the rest of the class rushes towards him.

“I’m Sero Hanta! Nice to meet you!”

“The way you fell against the table was so inelegant! You should-”

“I’m Ashido Mina! You just moved here? Why did you-”

“Take lessons from me. I’m Aoyama Y-”

“You moved here because of All Might, right? Right? Right?”

“I’m Uraraka Ochako! It’s great to have you here, Midoriya!”

“I’m Aoyama Yu-”

“You’re all too loud. The name’s Tokoyami Fumikage, by the way.”

“Kaminari Denki at your service! If you need any help I-”

“I’m Jirou Kyouka, and please don’t listen to anything he says.”

“I’m Koda Koji,” the stocky bald boy in front of him signs. “It’s good to meet you!”

Someone in the crowd surrounding him moves, and Izuku’s eyes widen as he catches sight of a familiar face: sitting at a faraway desk, gaze contemplative under a head of red and white hair, perfectly parted. Todoroki’s mouth is set in a hard line, his jaw resting in one hand propped on the table. Izuku feels his cheeks begin to flush from the sheer intensity of Todoroki’s gaze on his own.

  
“You too, huh?”

Izuku jumps, shoulders hunching up to his ears as his palms fly up to his face, the snickers and giggles around him only increasing the heat in his cheeks until his mother could use them to cook dinner. Through the gaps of his fingers, he notices Todoroki’s jaw clench, his face unreadable, before a gentle hand on his shoulder shakes him from his observations.  

“Midoriya, you just moved here right? Where do you live?” one of the girls asks him. Uraraka, Izuku remembers her name as. “Do you have a house or are you staying at the Yaoyorozu Inn?”

Izuku sighs in relief at the change in topic, looking up to flash a shaky smile at her.

“Um, actually I live in the house up on the hill? You know, uh, the one that’s close to the forest and painted in green and white-”

“Deku, you’re going to die in that house!”

Kacchan’s eyes are wide, nostrils flaring as his nails screech digging into the wood of his chair.

Izuku can only gape at him, even as Iida charges forward to yell at Kacchan, hands pumping up and down all the while. Izuku draws in a shaky breath.

“What do you mean?”

Kacchan only draws his knees up to his chest, his teeth baring in a snarl.

“I mean that you’re going to die in that house because it’s fucking haunted. I saw that fucker myself when I was a kid, so you better get out while you still can.”

“It’s true.” Kirishima wraps his arms around Kacchan’s chest from behind, pulling him tightly to his chest. “I was there with him that night, and I saw it too.”

Izuku swallows against the growing dryness in his throat. “What exactly did you see?”

Kacchan shrugs, though his jaw stays tight.

“It was some kind of...big-ass figure, tall as fuck. But I’ll never forget it. It was taller than the doorway, covered in some kind of misty shit, and its eyes were fucking glowing. Glowing, Deku. What kinda thing stands on two legs, is taller than a door, and has fucking glowing blue eyes? A ghost or some kinda spirit, that’s what.”

Sweat begins to gather on Izuku's palms. “What happened afterwards?”

Kacchan’s lips curl back in a subdued snarl. “What do you think? We fucked right out of there. And if you’re as smart as you should be, you would get outta there. Your mother too.”

_Mum._

Izuku’s blood freezes in his veins, the exhausted smile that his mother had gave him not even an hour earlier, the heavy blanket around her shoulders almost like that of a protective cocoon, flashing in his mind.

_Mum._

She hadn’t been coughing, but she’d been close, chest shaking with the effort, as she’d bid him goodbye, pressing a wrapped bento into his hands with a wink.

_Mum._

Sharp pangs of guilt rush through him. Of course, _he_ wouldn't mind living in a supposedly haunted house, but his mother. His mother.

_Mum…!_

“That’s quite rude, Bakugou!” Iida’s stern voice cuts through the tension, his arms in a frenzy of motion, as if he can just wave away the discomfort with enough effort.

“Midoriya and his mother have only just moved here, after all! Where would they go? Besides, there’s been absolutely no proof whatsoever that Midoriya’s residence has any signs of paranormal activity! To say that it’s haunted without any evidence is simply baseless at best, slanderous libel at worst!”

Kacchan sneers. “You think a fucking ghost is going to care about _slander_?”

“Well, I mean, it _did_ let us go,” Kirishima considers. “So how bad could it possibly be. _Kacchan?_ ”

Kacchan groans, slumping down in his seat, until he is only held up by Kirishima’s arms around him. “Not you too.”

Izuku can’t bring himself to laugh at the small smile on Kacchan’s face, his warning still heavy on his mind. It’s only when a rather scruffy looking teacher slumps himself into the room and orders everyone to be seated that Izuku remembers what Todoroki had said to him the day they met. It takes everything he has in him to concentrate and not rush back home.

 

The unease in Izuku’s stomach refuses to leave, despite Iida’s assurances and his own knowledge, and by the time the bell rings for lunch he’s exhausted both mentally and emotionally. His mother’s homemade katsudon bento has never looked so unappetising, and Izuku groans as he slumps forward in his seat to pillow his head on his arms. If he hurries, he should be able to make it back home before the break ends, but then he’ll have to skip lunch and be even more exhausted than before. It’d be worth it though, to see his mother safe and sound. He slowly begins to push himself up.

“If something’s happened at your house, my sister would have let me know.”

Izuku jumps at the familiar voice. Todoroki is loitering next to his seat, hands nestled in his pant pockets, his gaze as dynamic and unreadable as ever.

“The primary school where she teaches is close to where we live. She always keeps an eye out, in case anything happens.”

Todoroki clears his throat. His eyes flicker up to meet Izuku’s, before they promptly break away again, his shoulders stiffening beneath the blazer of his uniform.

“I’m sure she would have gone to ask after your mother sometime today.”

Something loosens in Izuku’s shoulders, and he doesn’t bother stopping the sigh of his relief that flows from him as he slumps over his desk once more. Tears start welling in his eyes, and he reaches up hurriedly to wipe them away.

“Thank you, Todoroki.” He fights the urge to laugh at Todoroki’s stunned expression, lips pulling up into a watery smile.

“You have no idea what that means to me.”

Todoroki clears his throat once more, a slight tinge of red appearing high on his cheekbones. Izuku shakes his head at the sight; he must be even more exhausted than he initially thought.

“I’ll leave you to eat, then.”

Before Izuku can reply, Todoroki is gone from his side, already striding out the door.

He sighs once more before opening his bento again. His mother’s katsudon has never tasted this good.

 

* * *

 

It’s been six days since he first started at Yuuei, six days since Todoroki had approached him in the classroom. Six days since his mother had started messaging him at lunchtime, after he’d burst into tears of relief on arriving home to find her wrapping gifts for the neighbours.  Six days of silence from Todoroki Shouto, of shy stolen glances from Izuku’s end. Two days since Ashido’s giggly comment. Izuku blushes, dropping his pen on his desk as the memory comes flooding back.

 

_“Pretty boy can’t take his eyes off of you.”_

_He yelps, pulling his notebook up to cover his face._

_“Pretty boy?!”_

_Ashido giggles, before pointing quickly behind him._

_“Todoroki, of course! Congrats Midoriya! You’ve done what no one else could!”_

_“What?!”_

_Ashido frowns, crossing her arms as she leans back against the table beside his. “You really haven’t noticed? Todoroki hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you for the past few days. I guess you have been busy with settling down here and schoolwork and everything.”_

_She wrinkles her nose as she takes in the pages of his book, filled to the margins with notes, “but Yuuei’s pretty boy has got his eye on you. Just thought that you might wanna know.”_

_True to her observations, Todoroki is indeed staring at him, his gaze intense when Izuku turns to meet it with a flushed face. His attention is as searing as a ray of reflected sunlight as it always is. Izuku’s breath catches in his throat, heart beating painfully in his chest before the door rattles open._

_“GOOOOOOOOOOD AFTERNOON, CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASS!!”_

_The room jumps at Mr. Yamada’s raucous entrance, his signature greeting, before settling to attention for the day._

 

The memory rings in Izuku’s thoughts as he tries his hardest to power through all of his homework before the start of the new school week, the knowledge of being the only person that Todoroki stared at so openly making him almost giddy from the sheer headiness of it. Had it been anybody else, Izuku knows that he would have run for the literal hills home long ago. But the Todoroki from his memories and the one of the present are intriguing, and he always did like mysteries after all. His tongue suddenly feels too heavy and full for his mouth, the unasked questions that have been brewing over the past few days weighing it down. Izuku sighs, tapping his pen against his teeth.

_Why do you think my house is haunted? What do you know about my house? Why are you interested in All Might as well? Can you tell me anything about him? What got you interested in the town’s history? What do you know about the town’s history? Did you find anything in the maps? Are there any other sources? Why did you run away the first time we met? Why haven’t you talked to me again? Why do you keep looking at me?_

Ashido’s words from before drip into the stream of his thoughts . He covers his face.

_Why can’t you take your eyes off me?_

Izuku groans, rubbing the heels of his palms against his eyes, the list of questions in front of him blurring together into a jumbled mess.

His phone beeps with a message from his mother.

_Checkup went well! I should be back from the hospital by sundown!_

Izuku feels a weight lift from his shoulders, grinning as he hurriedly types back a reply. Sundown is plenty of time to finish his studying before he has to help his-

Izuku yelps, grateful that there’s nobody around who would complain about the sudden noise as he takes in the timestamp of his message. He doesn’t bother looking at his unfinished homework, groaning as he rotates his chair towards the window, slumping in his seat.

 

He needs more time. More time to help his mother out, more time to catch up on his research on All Might. More time to actually finish his homework and compile his notes for each subject. More time to actually hang out outside of school with Iida and Uraraka and As-Tsu, more time to explore the Yagi Forest. More time to actually visit Todoroki. More time to actually talk to him.

A blur of movement outside catches his attention. The afternoon sun shines on a familiar figure, and Izuku’s jaw drops open. The thing about living right at the edge of the Yagi Forest, is that he tends to see everyone and everything entering and leaving via the main road. Especially if he’s sitting in the desk chair in his room and is just happening to look out the window. Outside, striding purposefully towards the forest, is Todoroki Shouto, his hair perfectly parted as always, despite the slight breeze, and Izuku knows that if he grabs his binoculars for a closer look, Todoroki’s jaw would be tight with determination, and his eyes would be as dynamic and unreadable as ever.

_It’s late afternoon already. Where is he going?_

Izuku worries his bottom lip as Todoroki passes by his house, and the urge to call out to him dies on his lips as he takes in his tense shoulders, his clenched fist, his rigid jaw, his bottom lip being worried. He’s close enough for Izuku to see his eyes, and it takes everything he has to not lean completely out of the window - _when did he even stand up?_ \- as soon as he sees the emotion there. For once, Todoroki’s enchanting eyes aren’t unreadable, and Izuku’s eyes widen when he realises. Todoroki is _nervous_.

Izuku can’t stop staring at the look in his eyes, at the carefully controlled breaths, the slight tremors in his arms and shoulders, the way his feet seem to drag along the dirt on the path, the way his thumb runs over his fingers clenched white. Todoroki must sense his eyes on him, because he immediately turns his upper body to look right back at Izuku, eyes wide, mouth dropping open to gape. Izuku would laugh if the feeling of mortification didn’t grip him so tightly.

He opens his mouth, hand already leaving the wood of the windowsill to wave - _when did he even lean against the windowsill?_ \- and Todoroki’s eyes widen further before he bolts, long legs clearing the rest of the path within a few seconds. Izuku yelps as he sees him stumble, sighing with relief when he somehow breaks the fall in a dive roll before continuing to run, albeit just a little bit slower. Izuku’s heart clenches painfully.

“Todoroki...!”

The echoes of his shout ring out, and Todoroki turns his head even as he continues to run, face already too far away. Izuku’s breath catches in his throat as Todoroki narrowly avoids an errant branch, ducking smoothly beneath it, arms already raised to protect his head as he begins to weave his way in. His gaze never leaves the direction of Izuku’s house.

_Todoroki..._

Todoroki is already disappearing into the darkness of the forest. If the weather forecast app he pulls up is correct, there’ll only be an hour and a half of sunlight left. Izuku worries his lip, looking back out the window once more. Todoroki is gone.

_He was so nervous._

Something lodges uncomfortably in his throat.

_He might be hurt._

He’s sprinting down the stairs before he can think, phone gripped tight in his hand.

_Wait for me, Todoroki…!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there everyone! 
> 
> First of all, thank you so so much for giving this fic a chance, even though it's still a WIP. 
> 
> Second of all, I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, but I hope that the longer chapter makes up for it. Expect quicker updates when October comes though, but hopefully I'll be able to get chapter three written and posted before then!
> 
> Thanks so much to my beta readers [dystopiansushi](http://www.dystopiansushi.tumblr.com/) and [shizuumi151](https://shizuumi151.tumblr.com/)!!!!! This fic would not be where it is without the two of you!
> 
> As always, hit me up on tumblr [here](http://history-rover.tumblr.com)  
> 


	3. The Forest of All Might

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am so so sorry for the delay in this chapter, but hopefully the extra long word count makes up for it? I'm hoping to post the next chapter of Wedlock maybe a few weeks after this, followed by another chapter here! 
> 
> Once again, thank you so much to my beta reader [Soosh](http://dystopiansushi.tumblr.com/) for doing such a great job!

The errant branches of Yagi Forest are no more forgiving than the sparse branches of the trees that dotted the sidewalks in Izuku's hometown, and he winces as he carefully pushes away the one in his face, hissing as a second branch scratches the bare skin of his knee.

“Todoro-Ow!”

Izuku bats away yet another branch, the forest seemingly determined to claw at his face, as his feet wildly feel out the unfamiliar path before him. Even with the sunlight beaming down from the skies, Yagi Forest remains dark and cool, its thick canopy blocking all but the strongest and most sparse of light from reaching the forest floor, the smell of moist earth and pollen heavy in the air.

“Todoroki!”

The path seems to stretch on and on; an unending cycle of tree trunks and shrubs and ferns. Despite the earnestness of the plants growing at its edges to grasp and scratch and pull at any passerby, the path itself is well-maintained, with wooden planks every few metres, free of any large obstructions, and clearly marked with robust red thread wrapped around neighbouring trees. Izuku quickly loses himself to the rhythm of his rapid footfalls. _In. Out. In. Out._ A wooden sign advises walkers and hikers to take care. _In. Out. In. Out._ A hastily tied knot provides a quick fix to a thread broken by a large branch. _In. Out. In. Out._ A stream of sunlight, from a rare break in the canopy, ignites a small patch of the forest floor in bright greens and yellows. _In. Out. In. Out._ Flowers with muted colours burst and blossom throughout the undergrowth. _In. Out. In._

Izuku yelps as he stumbles over a hidden root, his rhythm breaking, the sound in his throat strangled as he fights to keep his balance. Somewhere in the distance, there's the sharp trill of birdsong, followed closely by the frantic flapping of wings, the sounds a concert accompanied by the occasional whisper of a breeze rattling the leaves and branches of the forest, and his own discrete pants for air. _Todoroki, where are you?_ He can already feel the very first beginnings of an ache in his legs, and Izuku winces as he forces himself to continue at a sauntering pace, feet dragging slightly at the dirt path, overturning pebbles, sliding through thin piles of leaf litter with every step. _Come on! You can do it!_ There’s a faint rustling in the bushes next to him as a bird masked in shadow takes off, and Izuku jumps, a yelp of surprise poised on his lips when he notices the familiar pattern of contour lines. _Wait..._

Just off of the path, there’s a wooden information sign largely shielded by a thick shrub, its bright red paint long worn down to a rusty brown, bird droppings obscuring some of the characters. The diagram marked out in white next to them however, remains mostly clear. _A map? I might need that._ The wood is rough beneath his fingertips, the paint flaky against his skin, and Izuku narrows his eyes as he leans closer to read what he can.

_The infamous fire of xxxx reached up to here before the combined forces of rescue workers were able to extinguish it. Some say All Might themselves stepped in to assist the workers with putting out the fire, in addition to famously saving over one hundred people in under ten minutes, but this remains to be proven. Nevertheless, their efforts meant that a vast portion of Yagi Forest was saved from destruction. As such, all of the plant life up to this point is the result of regeneration following the fire, with the old forest ahead remaining largely unchanged, apart from a few areas affected heavily by the earthquake. The oak of the clearing is estimated to be...and legend has it that...Please see the map opposite for..._

Izuku groans at the obscured words. _I really should have looked more into local legends when I was at the library._ The click of his phone camera rings clearly, the sound a sharp contrast to the shaking of branches in the breeze, and distant chirping of birds, and Izuku feels the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, as it seems to echo around him. _At least I have some sort of map now._ The knowledge seems to ease away the tiredness in his legs, and he takes off again at a dash, easily recovering his rhythm from earlier. _In. Out. In. Out._ The trees and undergrowth seem to fly by once again, and Izuku clenches his jaw as he wills himself to move faster. _Wait for me, Todoroki._

 

As the path opens up into a small clearing up ahead, Izuku spies the trunk of the giant oak, sunlight gathering in golden puddles at its roots, giving them a bright and brilliant sheen. _It almost seems like some kind of guardian._ The moist, deep brown of the dirt path seems to melt into the leaf litter and grass gathered in the clearing as he enters, and Izuku’s breath leaves his body in a gasp as his feet slow to a stop at the base, craning his neck backwards to take in the oak in all of its glory. _The pictures definitely don’t do it justice._ _It looks like a throne._

Up close, the sheer size of the tree is almost overwhelming, majestic in its height, its roots sprawling out across the ground like the tentacles of the akkorokamui of legend. A muted howl of wind fills the clearing, turning leaves and branches in its wake, and Izuku hurriedly searches for any signs of disruption that remain, any sign that Todoroki had been here before him, any sign that he had even been here at all. _The path I took didn’t lead to anywhere else. He must have left this clearing not long before I arrived._

“Todoroki! It’s me, Midoriya Izuku! Where are you?”

His voice echoes around the clearing, mixing with the faintest rustling of leaves. _Come on._ Izuku closes his eyes, as the flapping of wings grows distinctly louder, before vanishing once more. _Please answer me._ A twig snaps from behind him, and Izuku jumps, his yelp dying in his throat as he catches movement from the very corner of his vision, along with an eerie flash of bright blue.

“Todoroki!”

There’s nothing there when he turns around. Izuku groans, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes until he can see stars. _Guess homework took a lot more out of me than I thought._ The clearing is still empty when he opens his eyes again, and just as silent, the shadows inching ever longer. _Please be okay. Please stay safe._

“Midoriya?”

The voice is faint and distant, more of an echo than an actual shout, and Izuku runs, kicking up leaf litter and dirt as his red sneakers scramble for purchase on the dirt of the ground. _If I can hear him, he can’t be too far away._ He runs deeper into the shadow of the oak, the bark rough beneath his fingers, and its fragments sticking to his skin as he pulls himself up and over its roots. _Wait for me!_

“Todoroki!”

There’s no one clear discernible path leading out of where Izuku finally rounds the oak’s base, as if the branches of the trees surrounding the clearing and the undergrowth beneath them have made it their mission to obscure the paths delving deeper into the forest, their somber colours melting into the shadows. Even their signposts seem to have been consumed by the trees themselves, their wood and paint faded, and masked by errant branches and shrubs. One path looks relatively more used, the twigs of the branches surrounding it pulled back somewhat, the leaves at its edges having long decayed, whilst a hearty shrub partially obstructs the entrance of another, the dirt around it littered with fragments of its branches and browned leaves. The final path, however, seems to melt into the darkness of the forest itself, a worn root at its entrance the only indicator that it even exists, the faint sound of running water trickling from within, and before Izuku can think, he’s hurtling through into the darkness, the clearing retreating further with every step.

 

* * *

 

If his running pace on the main path had been one of a steady, easy rhythm, his dash down this one  is the complete opposite, a frenzied desperate run with no end or destination in sight. Izuku catches flashes of his surroundings as his focus narrows to what’s before him, the wooden planks appearing closer in succession as the slant of the path continues to increase. The water grows louder as he continues to run, random spots of filtered sunlight his only indicator on the increasingly rocky and descending path, the trees surrounding it almost like a tunnel. _No matter how careful he was, Todoroki would have made some kind of disturbance when he went through._ One side of the path rapidly transforms into a steep slope as soon as it plateaus, the sound of a rushing river at its base a comfortable backdrop to the noise of Izuku’s panted breaths, the subtle snaps of twigs and brushes of leaves as animals scurry away in his wake, and the quiet bird calls that seem to follow him. _The breaks in the branches and leaves at the entrances of the other paths were way too old to have been made recently._ Pain jars up his leg as his foot comes down heavily on the point of a rock, and he swallows his wince as he keeps running, taking care to stay away from the drop. _Todoroki must have gone this way. Or at least, I hope he did._ The other side of the path is the slope of a steep hill, trees standing and growing tall above the thick undergrowth throughout, fraying red thread running around the trunks of those surrounding the path, and Izuku squawks as he sharply rounds the corner of the path, only to have a branch swing right into his face, the heavy scent of pollen almost overwhelming his senses, the leaves and branches clouding his vision even as he jumps backwards on instinct.

“What the-AH!”

The world spins in a kaleidoscope of green, yellow, and brown as he slips on an uneven stone, his other foot plunging over the lip of the path’s edge, and even though he knows the impossibility of it, his heart seems to leap into his throat to choke off his yelp, as the rest of his body tumbles backwards, his arms flailing wildly. _Come on..._ The bark of the branch teases his fingertips, the touch a second too late to be useful, and Izuku’s eyes widen as it fades from his sight, the sound of water becoming just a little bit louder as the distant tree canopies fill his vision. _Help me._ He tucks his chin close to his chest, arms reaching up to protect his head. _Please help me._ He braces himself for the pain when he finally lands. _Please, please help me._ He tries his hardest not to cry, as the wild beating of his heart drowns out everything else. _Help._

Even cushioned beneath a thin layer of stubborn grass and undergrowth, the hard dirt and rock of the slope is merciless against Izuku’s back when he slams against it, and he squeezes his eyes shut at the sensation of its uneven edges digging into his skin through his thin t-shirt, a hiss slipping through his clenched teeth. The bubbling of the river seems to grow menacingly louder with every further tumble, every scratch of pebble against his knee, every miniscule rocky outcrop poking against his side, every prickly shrub jabbing at the exposed skin of his back, every grain of dirt imprinting itself against his arms, every decayed leaf and fallen branch tangling into his curls. Izuku yelps as something hard collides solidly against his shoulder, his entire arm going numb and dropping away, just as the side of his face meets against cool moist earth. _Moist?_ The sound of the river drops away with a gurgle, and Izuku’s eyes fly open as the coolness of the water envelopes his body, the current doing little to cushion his head against the waiting bedrock. _Help me._ The world seems to blur with shadows and mist, and something knots into the fabric at the front of his shirt. _Help me._ The light drifting through the canopy fades away.

 

* * *

 

Izuku feels the light but solid pats against his cheeks first, the warmth a blessing against the clamminess and numbness of his cold skin. _I-I’m...alive?_ Somewhere, a river is rushing away, the backdrop to a cacophony of screeches that signal the coming of sundown, as birds frantically call for their families to return to their roosts. A light breeze raises goosebumps along his flesh, bringing with it the scent of moist earth, flowers, and decomposing leaves. His soaked clothing grows even colder against his skin, the wet fabric clinging to him like a spiderweb, along with prickly stray particles of dirt and leaf matter. The pats continue, and Izuku winces as his head moves with the motion, the aches of his body slowly seeping into his consciousness. Pain flares from the back of his skull, and the wince transforms into a full fledged groan as he fights to sit up, one hand reaching up to cradle his head. _Yep. Definitely alive._ Izuku’s lone arm trembles with the effort to support him, and he feels more than sees the large hand that moves to support his upper back.

“Please don’t push yourself young man! I’m glad you’re alright, but please allow me to help you!”

The voice is jovial and encouraging, booming without being overwhelming, and Izuku’s lips curl up into a grin, and despite the pain, he gives a slow nod. _I’ll hurt tomorrow, but at least I’m alive._ He chokes out a sob at the realisation, even as the sensation of bruises, scrapes, and cuts slowly pulses throughout his body. _I’m alive. Somehow, I’m alive._ The hand at his back gives him a few reassuring slaps for good measure, and Izuku coughs from the impact, his eyes slowly blinking open. The light that swamps his vision is blinding at first, and Izuku winces at the intensity, colour slowly creeping back into his vision with every forceful clench of his eyes. He’s in another clearing by all appearances, though one that is smaller than the first. The ground is carpeted with a variety of flowers, the shades of their petals and leaves vibrant against the brown palette of the earth peeking out from beneath them, their hues still vaguely visible in the last of the sunlight. The palm at his back rubs soothingly.

“It’s fine now!”

 _Oh that’s right._ He slowly turns towards his saviour.  

“T-Thank you. For helping me.”

The figure above him seems to radiate warmth as he beams, his bright smile bringing forth the sensation of utmost relief and safety, and Izuku’s eyes widen as he takes in the teeth that seem to gleam in the sun’s final rays, the two long strands of sunflower-yellow hair defying gravity to stand upright in the shape of a peace sign, the eyes hidden deep in shadow from the force of his smile, the unbelievable musculature casting a wide shade over him, at the mist that seems to rise around him. He’s clothed in some kind of red, blue, and yellow garb, bright even in the muted light of shadow, lines of white separating the colours. _Gleaming teeth. A large shadow. It’s. Fine. Now..._

“A-All Might?”

The large figure laughs, booming and confident, and Izuku’s heart races even faster, the pain throbbing at the back of his skull numbed by excitement, the aches of his body rapidly fading away.

“I suppose that’s what the good residents of this town call me. Pleased to meet you!”

There’s a burst of activity in the surrounding trees, as the silhouettes of birds take to the sky at the sound of a loud shriek. The world around him seems to reel as Izuku gasps for breath, his throat newly sore, pulse roaring in his ears, and the ground unsteady beneath his feet, the scarce leaf litter crackling with every sway. _Wait? When did I even stand up?_

“I-It’s really you, All Might! I-I-I’ve admired you since I was young! Well, y-younger! Since I was five actually! I-It’s an honour to meet you!”

 _P-Picture! I need a picture!_ His hands fumble at the pockets of his shorts, the gap in the wet fabric sealed tightly shut, and Izuku freezes as his fingers slip and slide over the smooth space uninterrupted and unhampered. _N-N-N-N-No way._ There’s a gentle tapping on his shoulder, and he freezes at the sensation of the familiar weight, at the faint glint of the black plastic in the corner of his eye.  

“Young man, are you looking for this? It fell out of your pocket when I pulled you out.”

“AH! Thank you!”

Before Izuku can even move, the phone is placed carefully into his trembling outstretched palms, the screen coming to life with a touch, its body surprisingly dry. _Thank goodness._ There’s a new photo in his camera roll when he opens the camera app on the third try, the picture tiny but clearly showing the silhouette of two long strands of upright hair backlit by the rays of sun creeping in between the gaps in the canopy, and Izuku feels his heart race even faster, his mouth falling wider open. _T-This...This is..._

“Ah, sorry about that! It must have happened when I picked it up-”

“Nononononononononono it’s perfect! I’ll treasure it forever! It’ll be a family heirloom somehow! Thank you thank you thank you!”

Izuku drops into a bow, head falling to the level of his waist, green curls shaking droplets of water as he repeats the action over and over, until the sensation of the wind against his face is all that he can feel. His head spins, the adrenaline dropping away and the pain returning with a vengeance, as his phone threatens to slip from his grip, as his fumbling fingers flick on the torch, as his limbs seem to grow weak and give out, and as his body plummets face first towards the forest floor. _At least I got to see and speak to All Might._ A pair of sturdy hands grip his shoulders tightly, before he’s pressed against a solid chest, rumbling with movement. _It’s so warm. So safe…._

“My boy! You have to rest! Let’s get you out of here and back home, shall we?”

The steam curling out of All Might’s body tickles pleasantly at his nose, and Izuku isn’t sure if All Might can hear his muffled “yes” or feel his nod against his chest, but he hears a chuckle all the same.

“Alright then, let’s get you home!”

 _Home_ . There’s a gentle rustling as All Might takes a small step back, arms still carefully supporting Izuku, and a patch of flowers in the clearing flares to vibrant life beneath the sharp glare of his phone’s torch as his arm drops away from All Might’s chest. _Red...and. White..._ Izuku gasps, snapping his head up to look at All Might, bracing himself for the fresh wave of pain.

“D-Did you see a boy as well? He’s about my age, taller than me, red and white hair. Um. Handsome. I think. Wait! He is! He is. Handsome! Uh.”

Izuku’s mind blanks as another pounding ache reverberates through his skull. _Think, Izuku, think!_

“I apologise young man, but I think it’s best if you brace yourself, this may hurt.”

“Hu-uwah!”

The world swims in and out of focus, the colours coming together like the blurred pattern on a spinning top as All Might carefully slips an arm beneath his knees and around his waist to carefully pick him up, and Izuku whines as the light jostling sends another jolt of pain through his head. _Think, Izuku, think!_ Images and sensations seem to flash in time with the passing trunks and branches, but the sky is no longer visible, and the near garish colours of All Might’s clothes are now masked by shadow. There’s a rhythm to the movement, and Izuku’s brows furrow together, his mouth opening and closing around a non-existent sentence.

“It’s okay, young man. Please take your time.”

 _A door creaking open._ A snap of a twig under a foot. _Eyes as beautiful as a thunderstorm and a hot cloudless summer’s day._ The fluttering of leaves dancing in the air. _Mochi._ A light clattering of pebbles disturbed by movement. _A mouth set in a hard line._ The growing scent of leaf litter. _Held gazes._ A loud screech of bird that rapidly fades away into the distance. _A clenched jaw._

_“I’m sure she would have gone to ask after your mother sometime today.”_

_The feeling of the sun._ The soft rustling of undergrowth. _A painfully beating heart._ The sound of a rushing river slowly growing louder. _The slightest tinge of red._

_“Thank you, Todoroki.”_

_Wide, nervous eyes, suddenly all to readable._

“He has really lovely eyes. They’re so expressive. And he’s kind too. So kind.”

“Fear not! He is well.”

Izuku’s breath catches in his throat in a wheezy sigh of relief.

“I-I’m glad.”

There’s a light rocking as All Might continues to move, the sensation almost peaceful, and the pain seems to fall away with every flutter of his eyelids, each blink longer than the last. The breeze feels wonderful against his skin now, and the stars in the sky begin to wink from above, teasing their presence from behind deep purple clouds in between breaks in the forest canopy. _It’s sundown already. Sun...down..._

“I-I need to call my mum…”

His phone threatens to drop from his limp fingers, as he fumbles for the keypad on the screen, the numbers blurring together. One icon in the top left corner of his phone seems to wink for his bleary attention, and Izuku narrows his eyes in concentration, as the warmth, solidness, and _realness_ of All Might threatens to lull him into rest once more. _No connection. O-of course._ His vision begins to grow dark again, and it’s all he can do to cradle his phone tightly to his chest.

_I’m sorry Mum._

“Don’t worry young Midoriya. You’ll be safe soon.”

 _H-How do you know my name?_ Izuku’s eyes close before he can open his mouth, the world falling blissfully into darkness.

“All will be well, young Midoriya, all will be well.”

The world falls silent.

 

* * *

 

_“Izuku!”_

_Huh?_ The sky is as purple as a bruise when he opens his eyes, the colours blurring together like ink in water, the sparse stars and clouds free from the mask of the forest canopy. There’s a faint tinge of rapidly fading orange in the very corners of the sky that fills his vision, but when Izuku takes another slow blink, it’s gone, clouded over by a blue so deep and dark it looks almost black. Somewhere in the distance, there’s a shrill caw of a bird, the sound nearly drowned out by the high-pitched droning of cicadas. There’s something stuck in his curls, its ends poking into his sensitive scalp, the aches from before slowly announcing their presence. _I’m...out?_ _How? What happened after I...after I…._

“Izuku? Izuku!”

 _Mum...I’m here…_ A strange croak fills the air, and Izuku coughs, prickly grass, rough pebbles, and damp earth pressing into the flesh of his palms as he slowly rolls onto his side, his phone sliding off of his chest to settle on the ground with a soft _thump_ . _I’m out. Somehow, I’m home._ He can hear the _pitter patter_ of his mother’s sandals growing louder, and he coughs again, arms trembling with the effort of supporting his weight as he slowly sits up, moist clothing still tentatively clinging to his skin. _I fell into a river, that much I remember. I met…someone? There was a clearing?_ Images of red and white flowers flash through his mind, as the slapping of sandals against earth comes to a halt beside him.

“Mum…”

“Izuku! Are you okay? What are you doing outside?”

“Um, I was. Um. Todoroki. I was following Todoroki. I was worried. I fell in a river. T-There was a clearing with red and white flowers. They were nowhere near as pretty as he was though.”

The last few words fall out of his mouth in a mumble, and Izuku feels his cheeks flush in realisation.

_Fear not. He is well._

Izuku groans, eyes clenching shut as a fresh jab of pain pulsates at the back of his skull. _How did I know that again? I think someone told me..._

The gentle hands on his shoulders are warm and comforting through the damp fabric, and his heart twists at the sound of his mother’s gasp in his ear.

“I-I’m sor-”

“Your clothes are all wet! What happened? Are you alright?”

“Mum...I’m alright, but I think I might need to see a doctor? I fell down a hill.”

“Oh honey, what happened? No, wait! Tell me on the way there! Did you hit your head? Did you break something?”

Izuku feels a pang of guilt, as a cough shakes through his mother’s entire body as she carefully supports him to stand, her hand gripping his wrist in a death grip to drape over her shoulder, her free arm wrapped tightly around his waist.

“I’m sorry, mum.”

“Izuku! It’s not your fault! You were worried about your friend right?”

 _Friend. I wish we were that close._  

“J-Just don’t run off like that again without leaving a note for me, okay? Please, Izuku.”  

The cushions of the car seat seems like a paradise for his aching body, and a groan escapes Izuku’s lips as he settles himself deeper into the softness. As his mother leans across to secure his seat belt, light spills through the open front door of their house, and the car’s dome light shines on her blouse, the yellow fabric gleaming like a weak torch. Like a sun behind clouds. _Sun._ _Yellow. Yellow. Yellow. Wait._ Izuku’s eyes widen, and it takes everything he has not to break into another coughing fit as he chokes on his own spit.

“I think I met All Might!”

There’s a muted shutting of a door, as the light from the house is shut away, and his mother tumbles into the driver’s seat beside him, the dome light dimming, and draping them with shadow as she fumbles for the keys in her purse.

“A-All Might? Izuku, how? Keep talking to me, okay? Stay awake, okay?”

The car sputters to life, and Izuku winces at the slight familiar rocking, the grass, dust, and loose dirt around the driveway rustling and flying with movement, as they reverse out onto the road with a soft rumble.

_I can’t wait to tell everyone about this! I wonder how I should let the-_

Izuku yelps as the first pothole takes him by surprise, shaking him out of his thoughts,, his head knocking lightly against the headrest of his seat, and a fresh wave of pain enveloping him, as he reaches up to try and rub away the ache. _Huh?_ There’s something unmistakably soft beneath his fingertips, slightly moist and sticky to the touch, and his eyes widen as he carefully pulls it away from his curls.

“Izuku, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine, Mum! I-It’s okay.”

Izuku leans back further in his seat, one hand gripping the door’s armrest tightly as the car runs over another series of potholes, the centre of the town growing increasingly larger and brighter as they descend. The jolty motion of the car as it flies down rough dirt and bounces over bumps, and holes, and rocks threatens to loosen the slightly crushed flower in his other hand, its red and white petals twisting together in a swirl of colour like a kaleidoscope as he spins it between his fingers. The flower is still releasing its perfume despite its damage, its scent subtle and sweet in the small space of the car, and Izuku clutches it closer to his chest.

_I can’t wait to tell Todoroki about this._

 

* * *

 

“Midoriya! Welcome back to class!”

Izuku winces as Iida’s strong arm wraps tightly around his shoulders to pull him out of the throng of Class 1-A and into a hug, the remaining bruises on his upper arms and back protesting at the sudden pressure.

“Ah! I-Iida, your arm?”

The reaction is immediate, as Iida sputters and jumps away to hold him at arm’s length, Uraraka, Ashido, Jirou, and Tsuyu giggling all the while beside him.

“I apologise for causing you pain, Midoriya! Are you okay?”

“I-Ida!”, Izuku reaches out to grasp at his shoulders, as Iida bobs his head up and down at a speed that would make a woodpecker jealous. “I’m okay! Seriously! I’m fine!”

“You better be serious, dude! We were all worried sick about you!”

Izuku gapes at Kirishima’s confident statement.

“Even Kacchan?”

There’s a scoff from behind Kirishima, and Izuku tilts his head to find Kacchan leaning comfortably against Kirishima’s back, arms folded tightly across his chest, and mouth set in a scowl that would have looked hard on anybody else, but instead looks exaggerated on Kacchan’s face.

“Fuck off, of course I wasn’t worried. As if falling into a puny river could kill Deku.”

Yaoyorozu coughs daintily from beside Jirou, her large ponytail shaking with the motion. _Almost like a shrub in a breeze._

“Actually, under certain circumstances, it’s quite possible for even the most seasoned swimmer to drown in only a few centimetres of water. Add in the fact that Midoriya hit his head and lost consciousness, the probability of him dying as a result of falling into a river would rise quite substantially.”

“Yaomomo, you actually memorised the stats? That’s amazing!”

“What do you know, _Kacchan_ , maybe you should have been a little more worried.”

“Give me a break!”

Iida clears his throat in vain to silence the growing chatter around them,

“Aside from the fact that it is in fact quite possible to die as a result of falling into a river, and that you are most fortunate to escape largely unhurt, I trust that you are mostly recovered then? We were all worried about your absence for the past two days, but Mr. Aizawa insisted that you were fine, and your mother told me that you were resting.”

Izuku hums and nods, a small smile quirking at his lips. The whole class screaming out “Welcome back!” upon his arrival had done quite a number on his eardrums earlier, but it’s the thought that counts after all. Even Todoroki had looked up at the commotion, his eyes wide, shoulders stiff, and his mouth opening and closing around inaudible words, before giving just the slightest and slowest of nods that still managed to make Izuku’s breath catch in his chest. Before he had been able to respond, Iida had effectively cut off his vision by promptly pulling him into a one-armed hug.

“Ah, d-don’t worry! I’m fine! The doctor said that there was nothing wrong! Just that I would ache a little bit for the next few days.”

Uraraka smiles, “Dr. Chiyo is a good doctor. What happened to you anyway? We tried to text you and visit, but Mr. Aizawa told us that your mother told him that you needed to rest.”

Tsuyu jumps to sit on the desk, leaning heavily against Uraraka, who happily supports her weight with a giggle, “What happened, Midoriya?”

“Yeah bro, what happened? Mr. Aizawa wouldn’t tell us anything, only that you fell into a river and hit your head!”

“Yeah! What happened, Midoriya? I bet it was something really cool!”

“Ashido! There is nothing cool about nearly dying!”

“Calm down, Iida! So! Was it? Was it something cool?”

“U-Um.”

Izuku sneaks a quick look at his phone, as the rest of the class moves closer as one. _Fifteen minutes._ In his peripheral vision, he can make out the slightest movement from Todoroki, as he lifts his head from reading the book on his desk, his eyes flashing up at him every few seconds.

_I can’t wait to tell everyone about this!_

Izuku swallows, fingers tightening in their grip around his phone.

_I can’t wait to tell Todoroki about this._

“The truth is…”

 

“Bull-fucking-shit.”

“I’m telling you that I saw All Might!”

“I call bullshit Deku! You can’t even see anything in the fucking photo!”

“What else could it be?”

“A weirdly-shaped plant? I don’t fucking know. But that’s not All Might.”

Izuku worries his lip, protests threatening to die in his throat as he lowers his phone, the screen going dark on the photo as he switches it off. _He does have a point. At this angle, you can’t really make out what it’s connected to, and there are plants that have leaves in that shape. Still, it’ll be hard to take a photo from this angle without capturing at least a branch or a part of the plant that it’s attached to. The difficult thing is not proving that it’s not a plant, but proving that it is indeed a partial photo of All Might. I wonder-_

“Wait a second Bakugou!”

Izuku jumps as the sudden voice breaks through his musings. _Uraraka? What are you doing?_ There’s a soft rustling from beside him, and Izuku turns to see Uraraka gently ease Tsuyu off of her, before leaning forward to gently place a hand on his shoulder, “I think we should at least listen right? I mean, someone definitely pulled Deku out of the river.”

Izuku rubs his nape, “I-I guess? I mean I don’t know who it was, but someone definitely pulled me out.”

Kacchan scoffs, arms folding across his chest as his head tilts to the side, “Yeah, no shit. You’re here with us, so obviously something happened.”

Izuku groans, “I’m telling you that that something was All Might pulling me out of the river!”

Jirou absentmindedly twirls one of her earphones around her finger, “Did you actually see him pull you out?

Izuku winces, “N-Not exactly? Someone was definitely grabbing at my shirt though! And he was trying to wake me up afterwards!”

Yaoyorozu frowns, “That doesn’t mean that he was the one who pulled you from the river though. What if someone else did, and he just happened to come across you afterwards?”

 _Pull me out of the river. Wait._ All of a sudden, his phone feels heavy in his hand, and Izuku frowns. _Wait. Wait a second…_

Even the mere memory of All Might’s grin is blinding in his thoughts, and Izuku’s eyes widen, “He did! He told me that he did! That’s how the photo got taken in the first place! He told me that my phone fell out of my pocket when he pulled me out, and it took the photo when he picked it up!”

Kacchan groans, “Look Deku, as much as I would like to believe you and all that shit, you’ve literally got no fucking proof that he did! Or that you even met him!”

Izuku sighs, pressing his face into the palms of his hands. _And we’re back at square one. He’s right though. All they have to go on, is my word that it happened, and the photo isn’t much use as-_

Iida clears his throat, “Midoriya, what happened when you woke up? You said that you were in some kind of clearing, if I recall correctly?”

“A clearing? Yeah! That’s where All Might took me!”

“For fuck’s sake-”

“Could you describe it?”

Izuku’s breath catches in his throat at the familiar voice, suddenly all too aware of the gaze shining like a spotlight on his back, as the room falls into a stunned silence. The scraping of chair against wood is almost eerie, as Todoroki slowly gets to his feet, his eyes betraying nothing this time as he moves closer to Izuku, shoulders tense, and only the slightest trembling in his clenched fists.

_Gorgeous eyes brimming with nervousness. Wide open eyes meeting his with nothing to hide._

Izuku shakes his head, the images fading away like steam in the breeze, as his mouth opens and closes, the air of the room cool and dry on his tongue.

“I-It was dark so I didn’t see much, but, um...”

Todoroki cocks his head, strands of hair falling into his eyes, and Izuku sucks in a breath at the brief flash of unease he sees in them.

“It was full of-”

“Mr. Aizawa!”

Izuku yelps with the rest of the class, jumping around to face the front of the room. If possible, his homeroom teacher’s face is even less impressed, his arms crossed against his chest, and the red veins in his eyes evident even from far away.

“It took five minutes, before someone even realised that I was here.”

“Mr. Aizawa, I apologise! As class representative, I should have been keeping track of the time!”

Mr. Aizawa huffs, “Just get to your seats before I start issuing detention.”

Even the sound of shuffling feet, and scraping chairs is strangely muted, and Izuku doesn’t bother denying the disappointment coursing through his body at the sight of Todoroki’s back retreating to his desk. _So close._ The closed notebook on his desk seems to be a beacon shining for his attention as he sits, begging to be opened to a certain page with a new addition.

“Get ready to write down the dates I’m about to announce. Oh, and Midoriya?”

Izuku jumps, his teacher’s voice authoritative even in monotone.

“Y-Yes Mr. Aizawa?”

“Welcome back.”

 

_I’ll need more evidence if I’m to convince everyone that I really did see All Might._

The red and white petals of the flower are still soft beneath his touch, their colours vibrant despite having been pressed in between the pages of his notebook, and securely taped there.

_Maybe if I look at databases of local flowers? There can’t be that many flowers that look like this. Too bad that it’s not proof that I met All Might though._

A slightly upturned corner of tape catches against the skin of his fingertip, sticky and uncomfortable, and Izuku grimaces, smoothing it back out as quickly as he can.

_Maybe Iida could-_

“Kaminari, Ashido, you haven’t even started on the homework?”

“Calm down, Iida, they’re due...wait, what’s the date?”

“Wait tomorrow’s the… _NO WAY! HOW DID IT GO BY SO QUICKLY?_ ”

“This is unacceptable! We have to uphold our reputation as proud Yuuei students, and that means completing our homework at least three days before it’s due!”

“Well, I was coasting on three hours but-”

“You don’t even have three-”

“Leave it be. It’s too late for some people.”

“Aoyama, didn’t you tell me earlier that you haven’t finished the homework Mr. Yamada assigned?”

“MR. YAMADA’S CLASS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT YOU HAVEN’T DONE THE HOMEWORK FOR IT?”

Despite himself, Izuku chuckles as Iida’s irate scolding fills the classroom, as Aoyama hunches in on himself, sweat obviously beading around his temples, as Ashido grins sheepishly at the beratement, and as Kaminari slumps backwards in his chair with a wail, his finger tracing the edges of the flower all the while.

_It’s probably best not to tell anyone about this, or ask for help for the time being, what with homework piling up and all, not to mention assignments in a few weeks. I’ll probably have to scale back my own activities too, unless someone helps me out. But I can’t ask that of anyone, not when they’ll all be busy with schoolwork as well._

“GOOD AFTERNOON CLASS!!! BEFORE WE START, PLEASE TAKE OUT YOUR BOOKS SO WE CAN DISCUSS THE HOMEWORK!”

Amid groans and nervous muttering, Izuku carefully folds the pages of the notebook back over the flower, the tape reflecting the light like a goodbye, as he closes it.

_It’ll be my secret for now._

 

* * *

 

“Class dismissed. And please, don’t forget to do your homework this time.”

True to form, the bell rings just as the final syllable rings out through the air, and Izuku’s shoulders slump down in relief at the sound, the chattering and clamouring around him increasing to a familiar comforting, if distracting crescendo as he slips the first of many books into his backpack.

“Yaomomo, could you please help me out again? You explain it so much better!”

“Of course, Jirou! I’m always happy to help!”

“...Want some tutoring as well, Kirishima?”

“Awww, are you seriously offering out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Deku! Do you want to walk with me and Tsu? Iida said he’ll wait for us outside!”

“Uraraka, if you don’t mind, I wish to speak to Midoriya privately first.”

 _W-What? What did I do? Did I even do anything?_ Izuku gulps, a weak smile spreading on his lips as he nods, chair rattling against the floor as he shakily gets to his feet.

“Go ahead, I’ll catch up!”

“Um, sure? Want me to help pack your things up for you?”

“Ah! That’s okay Uraraka! I can do it! See you soon!”

The smell of chalk grows stronger as Izuku follows Mr. Aizawa to the front of the room, dust motes obvious in the golden sunlight streaming through the open door, the sound of chattering and gossip remaining steady, even as more and more people trickle out in a rush of footsteps and well wishes.

“I don’t wish to waste any more of our time, so I’ll just cut straight to the chase: I trust that you have fully recovered, and that you are fine, Midoriya?”

“Eh? Y-Yes, of course Mr. Aizawa!”

“Very well, that is all, Midoriya. You are dismissed.”

Izuku gapes, jaw dropping open wide enough that he swears that he can taste chalk on his tongue.

“T-That’s it? That’s all?”

Mr. Aizawa huffs, leaning forward to shuffle and straighten a few stray papers on the teaching podium, “Yes, that is all, Midoriya. Unless you have something you wish to speak to me about?”

“AH! N-No Mr. Aizawa! Nothing! Thank you so much for asking after me! Have a nice afternoon!”

The classroom is empty when he turns around, a few chairs tucked in haphazardly here and there around crooked tables, and Izuku hurries to his desk, fingers scrambling to grab at the remaining books on his desk, open pages fluttering with the force of his movements.

_Huh?_

There’s a soft _fwip_ as a folded sheet of notebook paper flutters from the top of one of his books as he snatches it up, the white lined paper reminiscent of a falling flower petal as it settles onto the wood of the floor. Izuku frowns, the remaining aches in his limbs lightly flaring as he bends to pick it up. The chatter in the hallway seems to fall away as he unfolds it to reveal unfamiliar handwriting, and he gulps at the sensation of a familiar gaze on his shoulders. _It’s different this time though,_ Izuku thinks, bandaged fingers carefully unfolding the note in his hands, _it doesn’t seem as intense this time._

He turns around, gaze steady and certain despite the racing of his heart and the faint blush on his cheeks, and nods once.

 

The air outside is still warm from the rays of the early afternoon sun, the light breeze comfortable, stirring stray bits of dirt and sand as it passes by. The chatter of students and teachers leaving the school is a constant hum in the background, the shadow of the main school building offering a semblance of privacy and intimacy. Likewise, the lights in the windows above are off, their interiors dark enough that only the faintest silhouettes can be seen. A minute of relative silence passes, and Izuku sucks in a deep breath.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Todoroki’s face betrays nothing as he leans back against the brick of the wall, his head cocked to the side as his eyes hold him still in their gaze. Izuku gulps at the clenching and unclenching of Todoroki’s fists in the strap of his bag, in the white knuckles contrasted against the dark fabric, in the sudden tightening of his shoulders. _He’s not going to beat me up, is he?_ One of his hands reaches up to scratch at the back of his nape, the other running over the perforated edges of the note, the ticklish sensation of the paper against his fingertips grounding him. The sound of Todoroki’s deep breaths is just barely audible in their shared space, but it breaks the silence around them nevertheless, his shoulders rising and falling minutely with the action. His eyes never waver from their gaze on Izuku’s face, their attention honest and true, and Izuku feels the blush start to rise in his cheeks once more, his heart racing faster as Todoroki takes the smallest step forward, until they’re close enough for the very edges of their fingertips to touch one another.

“I want you to take me to the clearing where you found All Might.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akkorokamui: An octopus-like monster originating from Ainu folklore, and which permeated into Shintoism.
> 
> Please come talk to me on my tumblr [here](https://history-rover.tumblr.com/)! And if you want to look at things related to potw, such as inspiration, questions, and previews, you can look at them [here](https://history-rover.tumblr.com/tagged/potw)! Seriously, I don't bite, so feel free to hit me up anytime!


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